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Bruins look to continue remarkable run

Jan 1, 2009 - 11:29 AM Pittsburgh (19-14-4) at Boston (28-5-4), 7:00 p.m. EST

BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Boston Bruins attempt to pad their already sizable lead in the Eastern Conference when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.

The Bruins have been a juggernaut of late, winning nine straight games, including a 5-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Tuesday in the opener of this home-and-series.

That win capped a 5-0-0 road trip for Boston, which is on a 23-2-1 run to catapult into first place in the conference with 60 points - nine clear of second-place Washington.

With a perfect road trip to build on, the Bruins now return to TD Banknorth Garden, where they have won 13 consecutive games. The team still has some work to do if it hopes to match the franchise record of 20 consecutive home wins, set during the 1929-30 season.

While the Bruins seem to be getting production from virtually every player these days, it was Marc Savard and defenseman Dennis Wideman who keyed Tuesday's win in Pittsburgh - each registered a goal and two assists.

Boston goaltender Tim Thomas continued his stellar play, turning aside 32 shots to collect his seventh straight win and improve to 16-3-3 overall.

Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, the NHL scoring leader with 59 points, was held without a point in the loss and captain Sidney Crosby - second in scoring with 50 points - registered only one assist.

The reigning Eastern Conference champion, Pittsburgh is 4-8-0 over its last dozen games.